Addressing Disadvantage

Health and Wellbeing Pillar

Need

Across the G21 region there is significant disparity between advantaged and disadvantaged groups. There are target areas with very high levels of relative socio-economic disadvantage, as a region we are below the Victorian average on some key critical indicators:

There is a high proportion of work in low paid and lower skilled industries and occupations.

There is a lower level of year 12 completion and university qualifications.

There is a high rate of part time work (especially women).

Within certain areas of the G21 region, families are experiencing significant poverty, which escalates the adverse impacts of poor mental and physical health, increased violence and crime, lower education outcomes and joblessness.

Target areas include Corio, Norlane, Whittington and Colac. This affects not only the under resourced communities, but the whole of the G21 region.

Managing this requires us to address not just the symptoms of disadvantage, but the fundamental causes. These include access to quality educational opportunities from early childhood, better access to services that will improve health and wellbeing outcomes, and encompasses issues such as public transport and affordable housing.

This is a long-term and severe problem and ongoing funding is required.

Resources:

Project Aim

G21 Region Opportunities for Work (GROW) is based on significant international evidence that the best way to reduce areas of persistent disadvantage in a community is to reduce unemployment rates in those areas.

GROW will therefore bring together philanthropic, business, government and community organisations across the G21 region with that single objective — creating job opportunities specifically benefiting the most disadvantaged in our community.

GROW will create new job opportunities in areas within the region which have the highest levels of joblessness and persistent disadvantage.It will do this by targeting two significant means of job growth - procurement and investment.

GROW will support public and private sectors to direct their routine spend on local suppliers and products, creating new jobs which can potentially employ people from target areas.

It will also encourage investment in SME’s, allowing them to begin or expand operations within targeted areas, with a view to local job creation.

And it will use ‘demand-led brokerage’ to link jobs and jobseekers, providing incentives for the employment of suitably trained people from targeted areas.

GROW will focus on target areas in the G21 region with the highest levels of unemployment. Colac, Corio/Norlane and Whittington will be the initial focus; where unemployment is at double-digit levels, and well above regional and state averages.

Funding is also required across targeted areas in the G21 region to implement strategies that:

G21 Pillars

About G21

G21 is the formal alliance of government, business and community organisations working together to improve the lives of people within the Geelong region across five member municipalities – Colac Otway, Golden Plains, Greater Geelong, Queenscliffe and Surf Coast.